I don’t know if anybody has had this done as a tattoo but what exactly does it mean?
I’ve done a little research and people say sailors used to get it or people in jail, but surely people about 18-25 with a swallow tattoo ain’t all been to jail or been a sailor?
I’m just curious because in honesty there look sweet tattoos.
Hi
It depends what era you look at for the meaning and which country.
Upto the 1960’s (from starting around the 1900 point) European and American (merchant) sailors would get the swallows done on their hands to represent they have clocked up several thousand miles as the swallow does when it migrates. From the 1960’s onwards the practice did start to fall a little but is sometimes still in use.
In the USA from the 1960’s/early 1970’s the Aryan Brotherhood adopted the ‘blue bird’ (shape of a swallow) as one of their symbols for white power.
However this became a quite isolated expression and is now often used to represent freedom, joy, or luck.
In the UK from the 1950’s to the early 1980’s many would get swallows tattooed on their throats as a symbol of ‘doing bird’ or spending time in prison. This was also quite limited as many often went for the cobwebs.
The swallow tattoos of modern day are often considered ‘old school’ and mean a form of personal freedom – the issue of prison, white power or other negatives are very rarely associated with this type of tattoo in modern day.
Take Care
Matthew
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